


Secrets, Sunglasses And An Adventure

by MissMariel



Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Gen, Kinda fantasy world but no magic, Like really sick, M/M, Multi, Remy is sick guys, Sympathetic Deceit, also there's some trauma about fire coming up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-01-02 14:43:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMariel/pseuds/MissMariel
Summary: Two boys run away from home and find themselves in a castle.Another boy has been bedridden all his life and longs to have a real, normal life outside the castle.Fate brings the three together. An unlikely friendship develops...





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Idk, I don't really have much to say about this... Enjoy my probably longest fic, definitely my oldest though!

Dee ran for his life, tripping over sticks and sharp stones and clutching his best friends hand. The screaming behind them slowly died down, but even after it had stopped completely they kept running, lungs aching and eyes burning with tears. They had to get away, as far away as possible. It didn't matter where they would end up as long as they were together and far away from that village.

After a while Emile tripped and, pulling Dee with him, stumbled onto a dusty road that led through the dark forest. Maybe if they followed that, they could-

But he didn't get to finish his thought. From just behind the next turn they could hear hoofbeats and heavy wheels turning.

“Quick, over here!“ Dee tried to pull him into the bushes, to hide until the carriage had passed by, but Emile shook his head. “Maybe they can help us Dee! We have to try!“

They stepped to the side of the road and looked toward where the carriage would round the bend. A bright smile adorned Emiles face while the smaller boy looked much more nervous and suspicious.

Then they saw the horses, tall and bright white, with gorgeous decorations, and shortly after the carriage itself. It was magnificent, white wood with ornaments of gold and blood red. There was only one person who could own such a vehicle.

“The King...“, Dee whispered in horror and tried to pull Emile into the bushes again more frantically, but it was too late. The carriage had stopped in front of the two.

Quickly Dee pulled Emile to the ground to kneel. The curtain was pulled aside and a young man, not much older than them, looked out.

“Who do we have here? Stand up boys!“ Quickly Emile and Dee obeyed, but still kept their heads down. “Well, I asked you a question. Answer it“, the man inside the carriage demanded. 

Emile looked up, staring at the man's face for a moment, taking in his square chin and broad shoulders. For a split second he thought he was facing the king himself, but then a strand of hair fell into his face and Emile realised that he was too young to be the king. Relieved he smiled a bit and answered: “My name is Emile, your majesty, and this is my friend Dee. We uhm... We're from a far away village.“

Suspicious the prince eyed Dee, who still kept his head down and didn't dare to look him in the eyes, then turned back to Emile. “And what are you doing so far from home then?“

“We kinda-“ “Don't you dare tell him!“, Dee hissed. The prince pulled up his eyebrows, a slight grin spreading across his face. “So he _can_ talk, interesting...“

Dee had to brace himself against the urge to snarl at the royal. “Of course I can, _Your Highness_“, he gritted out through his teeth.

The one in question looked the two over. They were dirty, yes, but they didn't seem sick or malnourished. He sighed and opened the door to the carriage. “Alright, get in boys.“

At that Dee's head shot up and he thought for a second he saw something in the boy's face, before he turned his head to stare at his friend in disbelief.

“A-And where are you taking us, your majesty?“, Emile asked carefully. The prince waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “You can call me Roman. And we're going to the castle of course.“


	2. Part 2

On the way to the castle Emile learned that the prince was on his way home from a not-quite-date with a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. Dee however only listened to them without taking part in the conversation. He had chosen the seat closest to the window so he could watch the scenery go by and also hide the left side of his face from the prince.

After a few hours they arrived at the castle. A small welcoming party awaited- Well, prince Roman's arrival. An older man with almost the same build as the prince, that must be the king then. At his side was another young man with black hair that fell into his face and a third, who had light, curly hair, glasses and wore a flower in his hair. The last one stayed in the background, but looked no less excited that prince Roman returned home.

The prince glanced at a sleeping Emile with his head in Dee's lap. “Can you stay here while I talk to the king?“ Dee nodded and the prince exited the carriage to go greet his family. Dee watched with anticipation a he first hugged his younger brother and then his father. The prince's face turned worried as he spoke to the king, who in turn shook his head.

He seems worried, Dee thought, gently running his fingers through Emile's hair. Next the prince gestured towards the carriage again and he quickly turned his face when the king looked over.

He didn't dare turn back around, for fear of him seeing his face, and so was quite startled when prince Roman opened the door again. “You can come out now.“ He shook his head, gesturing down at his friend. The prince nodded and stepped aside, revealing the flower boy from before. “Patton will carry him. He'll also show you around and help you get settled in.“

Dee glanced at him suspiciously, but couldn't find any bad intentions in Patton's bright smile, so he nodded hesitantly. Patton nodded in response and entered to pick Emile up. Dee pressed himself away from him to make sure his face stayed in the shadows.

“Awww kiddo! No reason to be scared, I won't bite, come on out here in the sun.“ Roman pulled Patton back by his shoulder and shook his head, mumbling something to him while gesturing at his face. Dee curled up more, wishing he could disappear.

A soft “Oh“ pulled his attention back to the person currently holding his best friend in his arms. “It's alright kiddo. We can go get you something to cover your face with.“ He nodded, feeling the tears rise, but trying to fight them back.

Patton smiled and left. Dee curled into a tight ball again and started sobbing. He had taken Emile with hin, the only person who could calm him down in moments like this...

After a while Patton returned and handed him a scarf that he could hide behind. Dee gratiously accepted it and wiped his face, before putting it on and leaving the carriage. Now finally he got his first full look at the castle itself. With wide eyes he marveled at the sheer size of it, before Patton gently took his hand and led him inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically it's already Monday, but we'll ignore that for now. I'm only like an hour late...


	3. Part 3

Inside the castle Patton led the boys to a bathroom where they got the first hot bath of their lives and some new clothes. After the bath he led them down a dark hallway deeper into the castle.

“Where are we going?“ Dee glanced around nervously. He didn't like this, he felt trapped. Patton turned to him with a reassuring smile. “You're allowed to stay in the royal castle-“ At that the boys almost started cheering, but Patton quickly cut them off by lifting a finger.

“You are allowed to stay as long as you do your job.“ The boys sighed. But it seemed logical, why would the Royal Family take in two lost boys from the street without wanting something in return?

After a moment of silence Emile looked up at Patton again. “And what exactly is our job?“ The older valet grinned. “Tell me kiddos, how old are you again?“ Dee and Emile looked at each other, confused. What did their age have to do with this?

“Uhm... Around 18, why?“ Patton smiled brightly. “Perfect! You will be the youngest prince's companions.“

Dee frowned. “The youngest prince?“ Patton nodded, but quickly continued without answering his question. “Yes, you will talk to him, eat with him, your rooms will be basically right next to each other!“

He stopped in front of a heavy-looking wooden door. “Oh and of course you'll help him with everything that he can't master on his own due to...“ He looked around, then continued in a hushed tone: “His illness.“

Both Emile's and Dee's eye widened, but before they could ask anything else Patton opened the door and ushered them in.

A boy about their age, with dull unkempt hair and sunken in cheeks looked up from where he laid in bed. Patton smiled warmly. “Oh good, he's awake, I'm sure you're gonna get along just great! I'll be back later to bring you dinner.“ Looking over at the prince, he added: “Play nice Remy“, and left the room. Emile and Dee looked at each other, standing in the doorway awkwardly, but before either of them could say anything they were once again interrupted. The prince, Remy apparently, sat up. 

“Aren't you two a bit young to be guards?“ Emile shook his head and hesitantly took the first step forward. “We aren't guards, we're here to-“ Before he could finish the prince cut him off with a groan: “To tell the sleeping prince how sorry you are for his fate and wish him only the best? Save that for my father, I don't wanna hear it.“

“Now listen here, _Your Highness_, we had no idea you even existed until a few minutes ago. So no, we aren't here to give you our condolences. We just want to do our job so the king won't kick us out again, okay?“ Panting rapidly, Dee stared at the prince, who in turn just stared back. Quietly Emile stepped closer, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

“Dee, come on... Calm down, please.“ Dee glanced at Prince Remy fearfully. Did he go to far? Quickly he tugged his scarf deeper into his face, just to be sure. After a rather long moment of staring back and forth, Remy broke the silence, a shit-eating grin on his face: “You've got spice darling, I like you.“


	4. Part 4

The two stared at him in shock. Now this was truly the last thing they expected the prince to say. He motioned for them to come closer, so they sat down on each side of him. "Now tell me, what are your names?"

The two looked at each other and after a moment Emile cleared his throat. "I apologize, your majesty. My name is Emile. And this is my friend Dee." The prince smiled at him weakly. "You don't have to honour me, really. Just say Remy." Emile nodded slowly. "Remy it is then."

Dee sat up straight, grinning slightly. "D'you wanna do something fun?" Remy shrugged and looked around the room. "We could read something? Or... Do you guys know checkers?" Emile and Dee exchanged a look of disbelief. "Do...", Emile asked carefully, turning back to the prince, "Do you really think that's fun?"

The royal shrugged. "I can't really do much else, y'know." He gestured down at his body under the blanket. Emile nodded. "A story it is then. Do you want to help me, Dee?" Dee nodded eagerly, jumping up from the bed. Emile sat up straight, cleared his throat and started telling his story.

"This is a story about a young prince who was cursed by an evil witch to turn into a frog-"

"A dragon!", Remy corrected. Emile nodded, smiling softly. "Of course, a dragon."

"And the dragon prince reigned terror over all the land!", Dee laughed, imitating a roar and pretending to fly around, illustrating his friends story like they'd done so many times before. Remy giggled slightly, watching him. Emile shook his head, but smiled softly.

"But then a strong ruler came along and tamed him." Dee's play changed momentarily. Now he was a king, commanding his army to take down the dragon. A weak cough escaped Remy. "Is there a pretty princess in this story?" Dee grinned, clasping his hands together near his face and batting his eyes at the prince.

Emile nodded eagerly, not noticing the cough. "Of course, the kings daughter!" Dee nodded too, happily playing along: "Yes, and the dragon has to ward her from unwanted advances!" He pulled Emile to his feet and jumped around him, roaring and clawing at imaginary attackers.

Remy laughed loudly at their antics, but it quickly turned into a violent coughing attack. Alarmed the teens looked up from their play and rushed back over to his side, shouting: "Remy!" - "Remy, what's wrong?!" The prince tried to answer, but could only shake his head as the coughs shook his frail body.

"Quick, Dee, the window! He needs air!" Dee jumped up and raced to the window, while Emile pulled all the heavy fabric off of the prince's chest.

Suddenly Patton burst in, dropping the silver tray at the foot of the bed and rushing over to Remy. Gently he pushed Emile away and helped the prince sit up. Dee still struggled with the window, but a quick: "Leave it, kiddo", from Patton stopped him. 

"Breathe, prince Remy, deep breaths. You need to calm down", Patton spoke in a calm and steady tone. The prince nodded slightly and took a deep, wheezing breath, only calming down fully after a few minutes. Patton sighed in relief and then turned inquiringly to the other two. "What happened?" 

They looked at each other, both pale from shock, until Emile spoke up: "We, uhm... We were just telling a funny story." Dee nodded quickly. "We didn't mean any harm!" Patton sighed, letting his head hang down. "I don't want to imagine what would've happened if I hadn't come in." But Remy shook his head and placed his hand on his arm, smiling slightly. "It's fine Pat. We had fun." He looked to the side. "They tried to help..." 

Patton nodded and looked up at the two spooked again. "You did great kiddos." He smiled softly, placing his own hand over Remy's. "I can't remember the last time prince Remy laughed - genuinely laughed - this much." Dee frowned, tilting his head. "How can you not remember, it was only a few moments ago?" This earned him a weak chuckle from the older male. 

With an exhausted sigh Patton stood up from the bed and went to pick up the food. "Eat now, kudos, and then I'll show you where you'll sleep. Do you want me to help you, prince Remy?" 

The prince shook his head. "I'd like to eat with Emily and Dee please." Patton nodded and set the tray down with a soft smile. "Of course. Can you explain them how to get to their room?" Remy nodded and gave a thumbs up, grinning slightly. Patton grinned back, ruffled his hair and turned to leave. At the door he stopped a last time, before he left with a "Goodnight my prince." 


	5. Part 5

They ate quietly, still a bit shocked by what just happened. Dee and Emile glanced at each other every so often, while Remy just seemed down about obviously ruining his first encounter with the only people his age he had met. Surely they would only pity him and treat him like a glass figurine because of his stupid- He sighed and pushed his plate away.

"Are you-", Emile started to ask. Quickly the prince shook his head. "Yeah. Let's go to your room now." He managed to push back the blanket and get up on shaky legs, although still gripping the wooden bedframe.

"I, uhm... You might need to help me walk." His face burned at the admission of weakness. But the other two were by his side in no time, one on his left and the other on his right.

"Of course!", Emile exclaimed and Dee added, "Absolutely no problem!" Both of them linked arms with Remy and helped him take a few shaky steps away from the bed.

The prince directed them to a small wooden door on the other side of the room, that could've easily just been a closet. Dee took supporting most of Remy’s weight as Emile slowly pushed open the heavy door. Behind it was a room, smaller than Remy’s, with two single beds in it. The small window let in a few rays of the setting sun, which painted the simple grey of the stonewalls and blankets dark orange.

Emile and Dee looked around, eyes wide with awe. "This'll be our room, ours alone?", Emile asked. Remy grinned weakly. "Do you see any more beds here, darling?"

"No, but..." Dee looked to the side and added grimly: "We never had our own room before..." At that the grin slipped off Remy’s face. He realised that he knew next to nothing about the two. They might've come from a much worse situation than him.

After a moment of silence he shrugged. "Well now you do, my darlings. I hope you'll enjoy it." Emile nodded, smiling weakly. "Thank you." After another moment his eyes widened and he quickly added: "Can you- Do you want us to help you back to your bed?"

Remy winced slightly and shook his head. "I think I'll manage, but thanks." He sounded more bitter than grateful though. Sure he'd have enough strength to drag himself back to bed, but it'd still take much longer than for any normal person. But he really wanted to be able to do this without help.

Emile nodded slightly and glanced to the side. "I'll leave the door open a bit, so just call if you need anything." Remy huffed and turned to make his way back. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary."

"Are you sure?" Even Dee sounded worried now. The prince sighed. He had hoped he could avoid that. Quickly, before the silence could get too long, he shook his head. "I'm sure. Don't worry about me." And with that he managed to pull the door out of Emiles weak grip and pull it closed behind him.

For a moment both of the other boys stared at the closed door, then Emile slowly turned and sat down on the bed that wasn't yet occupied by his friend. 

On the other side of the door Remy exhaled shakily. He wished he could sink to the floor right where he stood, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get back up again on his own. Night would fall pretty soon and by then he should be back in his bed, so he began the slow walk across the room, ignoring the faint rumbling in the distance.


	6. Part 6

He sat up with a jolt. Something wasn't right, he could feel it, but he couldn't quite figure out why. Aside from the unfamiliar environment and the rain outside everything seemed normal. Wait, rain? 

Just in that moment a bright light filled the room, quickly followed by a loud crack of thunder and a small whimper from the other bed. Upon realizing the situation, Emile quickly jumped out of the bed and rushed over to his best friend.

"Dee! Dee, it's alright, I'm here!" The smaller whimpered again and peered out from under his blanket. "Em…?" Emile nodded, holding out his hand. "I'm here, I'll protect you." Hesitantly Dee took his hand, which Emile took as an invitation to join him under the blanket, wrapping his arms around him tightly. 

They sat like that for quite some time, Dee jumping at every loud noise and lightning strike, until a quiet knock on the door caught Emiles attention. "Dee…" The smaller boy whimpered. "Yeah…?" 

"I'm gonna get up for a moment, alright? I'll be right back." For a second Dee pulled him closer, but then he slowly let go of him and curls into his blanket instead, nodding slightly. Emile smiled and got up. 

Making his way to the door, he tried to ignore the quiet whimpers coming from his best friend every time thunder or lightning split the quiet darkness of the night. Finally he opened the door and just barely managed to catch Remy before he could fall. "Your maje- I-I mean Remy! Why are you up, is everything alright?" Dee poked his head out of the pile of blankets worriedly. 

The prince groaned quietly, holding onto Emile tightly. "I could hear him crying all the way in the other room…" He smirked weakly. "Plus it's always better to be with friends during a storm." Dee's eyes widened slightly, but he just silently held out a hand towards Remy. Emile gave him another pondering look, but then nodded. "If you're sure about this." And with that he slung the prince's arm over his shoulders and led him to Dee's bed. 

Dee unwrapped the blankets from around his shoulders and let the other two slip underneath. Another loud crack of thunder ripped a yelp from the smallest. Quickly Remy wrapped his arms around him. "Sshh, it's alright. You're safe." 

Holding him tightly and slowly rubbing his back, he added: "This castle has so far survived every single thunderstorm since it was built." Dee made a small noise of contentment as he nodded and snuggled closer to the prince. 

Emile smiled softly, but couldn't help but notice the tightness with which Remy pressed his lips together and how much trouble he had to keep his eyes open. <strike>His slowly growing sore back from being upright for so long was something he managed to hide from his eyes though.</strike>

So Emile didn't join the pile and instead laid down next to them. Dee made a small confused noise in the back of his throat as he looked up, but his friend simply smiled at him reassuringly. After having found a comfortable position, he reached out and pulled Remy, who was still holding Dee close, to his chest. 

The storm slowly became quieter as it moved further and further away and under Emiles gentle hands carding through his hair and reassuring words muttered quietly into the night, Dee eventually drifted off to sleep again. 

And that was how Patton found them the next morning: Emile propped up against the headboard, holding the other two boys in his arms, their limbs entangled and the blankets and pillows - safe for the one behind Emiles back - strewn across the bed and onto the floor. All three of them had peaceful smiles on their faces. 


	7. Part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small time skip of about three years

A brisk knock sounded from the door to the hallway, before a cheery voice called out: "Are you all decent?" Remy grumbled and sleepily rubbed a hand over his face. "C'mon Rem", Dee nudged the prince, "I'm sure you don't wanna sleep through today." 

Meanwhile Emile had put on a light brown dressing gown and went to open the door. "Good morning Pat, you're early today." Patton grinned sheepishly as he entered with a tray. "Yeah, y'know, lots of stuff to do today." He turned towards the bed after handing the tray over to Emile: "Morning Dee! Can you guys get the prince ready on your own?" 

"Already working on it…", Dee mumbled in response, then nudged Remy again, who swatted his hands away without even opening his eyes. Emile turned to smile at Patton apologetically, before turning him around and pushing him out of the room. "Don't worry, we'll make sure he's there on time." After glancing back for a moment he added with a shrug: "And that he's at all presentable."

"Hey, I heard that babes", Remy grumbled from where he had his head buried in the pillows. Patton giggled as Emile sassed back: "Good, that means you're already awake!" With that he pushed the door closed and came back to the bed. 

Upon having the blankets pulled away from him, the prince sat up and glared at his friend. Dee snickered and ran a hand through his hair. "There you go. How are you doing that Em, I swear…" 

"Magic", Emile simply stated, before he pushed the tray closer to Remy. But Remy only glared weakly at the load of bread while trying to fight off Dee's attempts to fix his bed head. "Aww, does our majesty need us to feed him today?" Dee teased. 

Remy grumbled something that sounded vaguely like: "Don't call me that", then nudged the small ceramic pot with obvious distaste. "There's twice as- More than normally…", he stated. "Why're there so many?"

Emile sighed and lifted up the pot to swirl the small, dark brown beans inside of it around. "Those aren't even your only ones for today, Rem… Did you really forget what day today is?" Remy waved a piece of bread - how did that get in his hand? - at him as if he could whisk away the worried look in Emiles eyes. "Nah, course not babes! But uh… Remind me anyways?" 

Emile sighed fondly and shared a look with Dee. The other just shrugged and gesticulated with his own piece of bread that he'd just taken a bite out of, clearly indicating that he was in no position to give an answer. Emile shook his head and turned to the prince again, who just looked confused and bleary-eyed between the two of them. 

"You know how your brother turned 25 this week, right?", he started. Remy tilted his head in confusion - and in doing so caught sight of the red and silver patterned shirt hanging on a mannequin in the corner. His eyes widened in the same moment that he heard Emiles explanation: "Today he's being crowned king." 


	8. Chapter 8

"So what's the plan then?", Remy asked, glancing at the pot again. "Get me all doped up on beans and hope for the best?" Dee and Emile shared a look, before both just kinda shrugged. "I mean… Yeah, pretty much that's the plan", Dee admitted. 

"Great!", Remy huffed and let himself fall back against the bed. "What if I pass out though? It's Ro's big day, I can't-" He sighed and shook his head. "You know exactly how easy it is to miscalculate these", he finally stated and nudged the pot with the beans again. 

"We're gonna be right by your side at all times Rem, if anything happens you'll be safe", Emile said, smiling reassuringly. Remy groaned and turned on his side to face away from them. "That's not what I'm worried about and you know it!" 

"Look, Ems gonna stand less than five steps behind you. Should you really pass out during the ceremony, he can catch you without anyone even noticing. Everything's gonna be fine, Remy", Dee promised. "But I'm almost certain it won't come to such extremes", Emile added, "I took some time to observe how the beans affect you and I'm pretty sure that Patton and I can keep you at a tolerable energy level all day." 

Slowly the prince turned to look over his shoulder. "Even during the ball?" Emile smiled softly and nodded. "Even during the ball. Now!", he added, clapping his hands and getting up, "If you're all done eating, I think it's time you take your beans and we get you dressed for the ceremony." 

Remy just groaned and turned back to bury his face into the pillows again. Dee giggled slightly, shrugged at Emile and grabbed Remy's shoulder to turn him over again. Then he pushed him up into a sitting position, supporting pretty much his entire weight, as Emile placed the pot in Remy's lap and held a single bean against his lips. 

"Say ahhh…" They giggled at the prince's displeased grumbling. After a moment though, he reluctantly opened his mouth and let Emile push the brown bean in. "Now, don't forget to chew." Remy rolled his eyes, but mentally prepared himself before biting down. Still he couldn't stop himself from wincing at the bitterness that filled his mouth immediately. 

Swallowing it down, the prince looked up at his servant-turned-friend pleadingly." I'm sorry Rem", Emile sighed, "I know they taste horrible, but there's no way around this. Not today…" Remy sighed as well and nodded, closing his eyes as he leaned back against Dee. "I know, it's just…" He shook his head. "It's fine." 

"Well, if you say so…" Emile frowned slightly, but held out the next beam. Dee meanwhile gently took Remy's hand and reassuringly rubbed his thumb over his knuckles. Remy sighed softly and opened his eyes again to look up at Emile with a defeated look this time. 

"Can I at least feed myself?", he asked. Quickly Emile nodded and dropped the beam back into the pot, before handing that to him. "Of course!", he said, then settled against his other side with a worried look. Remy's mumble of "Thank you…" was almost inaudible as he continued eating. 

Eventually the pot was empty and Remy set it aside with a sigh. Pushing himself up, he reached for the bedpost to get up fully. Dee and Emile, who's hands had slipped out from where they were holding the prince's hand and playing with his hair respectively, sat up too. 

"You look better already, Remy", Dee remarked with a warm smile. "Yeah, well… That's what those disgusting lil' fuckers are for, aren't they?", he tried to joke. Emile hummed lightly in acknowledgement, but otherwise there was no reaction. "We'll then", Remy huffed, crossing his arms as he stood in front of the mannequin. "Shall we get started babes?" 


End file.
